Mother Dearest
by LemonPeaves
Summary: Eloise is grown up and still gets a daily call from her Mother in Paris. Things have changed though and Eloise is tired of her Mother being in Paris.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Eloise or the films.**

**Rating: K**

16 year old Eloise walked through the lobby of the Plaza Hotel. She had been helping Bill do the breakfast for all of the hotel guests and it was now late morning. It was a Saturday and Eloise wondered what she was going to do. Her Nanny had a date day with her partner Sir Wilkes which meant that Eloise was all alone for the day. She had contemplated giving Leon a call but he was away and the phone charge would be too much.

She jumped in the elevator and said hi to Max, who had become more talkative since she had grown up and become more sensible. She rode up to her floor and thanked Max as she jumped out. When she approached the suite, the door was opened so she walked in.

"Eloise! Where have you been?" Nanny asked her.

"I've been helping Bill, the breakfast room was rather busy this morning." She told her.

"Well aren't you a good girl!" Nanny smiled.

Eloise rolled her eyes.

"Nanny, I'm 16!" she whined.

Nanny laughed, giving her a squeeze.

"You'll always be my little girl." she said.

Eloise laughed too, just as the phone rang. They both looked at it then Nanny looked at her sideways.

"That'll be your mother." she told the blonde girl.

"I know, do I have to answer it?"

"Eloise! Come on!"

Eloise sighed, crossing over to the phone. When she was little she used to love hearing from her Mother. Everyday she would hang on her every word. 'I'm coming home in 3 days.' 'Oh, I'm not coming anymore, I have too much work.' She had been devastated when she was six but then she started to grow up. In her early teens she got angry that her Mother kept letting her down. Now, though, she found that she just couldn't be bothered anymore. Nanny had been her mother for all of these years as far as she was concerned and that was that.

"Eloise, answer the phone!"

She sighed and picked up the receiver.

"Bonjour baby!" Her Mother chimed.

"Hi Mom." She found herself exaggerating her American accent when her mother rang nowadays. There had been a time when she would try a bit of French just to impress her mother.

"Guess what?" Her Mother said, excitedly.

Eloise knew what was coming.

"What?" She mumbled.

"I'm coming home!" She could tell the woman was beaming.

"Okay."

"Okay? Is that all? I thought you would be excited."

Eloise sank down on an armchair.

"I am..."

"You don't sound it."

"Sorry."

There she went again. Apologising for her Mother not caring. Her Mother started talking again but Eloise stopped her.

"Mom, I've got to go." she said.

"What...why?"

Because you haven't seen me since I was 10...I don't want to get my hopes up for you to just dash them...again.

"Um...Nanny's waiting for me...we're going shopping." She lied.

At this Nanny's head snapped up from where she was sitting doing up her shoes ready for when it was time to go and meet Sir Wilkes in the lobby. She raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

"Oh, you have to go now?" Her Mother asked.

"Yes, Nanny's out of the door."

Nanny gasped and Eloise flashed her a 'shut up' look.

"Can I have a word with Nanny?"

"Er...yes...of course."

Eloise past the phone over to her Nanny and the old woman took it, raising it to her ear. The girl watched as the nanny 'yes'd' and 'no'd'.

"Shopping?"

Eloise gave her a pleading look, her eyes saying 'just go along with it.' Nanny twisted her mouth but one look from her little girl melted her like butter.

"Yes." She said, into the phone. "We're shopping all day!"

Eloise breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, okay, here she is."

Nanny past the phone back to Eloise and she moaned slightly.

"Mom." she said.

"Yes, well, Ellie-"

"It's Eloise."

"Um...I'll let you go then."

"See you then."

"I love you baby."

"...me too."

She put the phone down and felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Nanny was looking at her expectantly.

"Well..."

"Well..?"

"Your Mother."

"She's coming home for a visit."

"Oh...well, won't that be fun." Nanny smiled.

"No." Eloise said flatly.

"Oh Eloise, she's your Mother."

"Really? What kind of Mother doesn't visit there daughter in six years."

"It hasn't been six years!"

"Yes it has. You don't think I've been counting?"

Nanny sighed, knowing she couldn't win this argument. She knew Eloise was quite right. Right, right, right. Eloise looked at the time and gasped.

"Nanny! You were supposed to be with Sir Wilkes 5 minutes ago!" she cried.

Nanny jumped and immediately started touching up her hair.

"You look fine! Now go! Enjoy yourself!" Eloise laughed.

"Will you be okay sweetheart?" Nanny asked her.

Eloise nodded smiling.

"Of course! I've had years of this! Don't worry!"

Nanny bit her lip.

"Nanny! I do wish you'd stop worrying! Look, I'm going out to see Rachel and the baby today, I'll be fine." She said, almost pushing the late Nanny out of the door.

"Okay...well, I'll see you later."

"Bye Nanny."

She let Nanny kiss her on the cheek.

"I love you." She told her.

Nanny smiled.

"I love you too." And then Eloise shut the door, letting Nanny run off to catch the elevator.

She skipped off to her room, hopping over the strewn clothes. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, sliding in a pink bow clip to finish off her blonde locks. As she was doing this a flash of colour caught her eye. It was a photograph of her and Nanny when she was about six. They were standing outside The Plaza and big grins were stretched across their faces. She smiled. Maybe Nanny was right, maybe she did need her Mother but as she gazed at the photo, she didn't think she needed anyone else but her Nanny. She was her Nanny's whole world and Nanny was hers too. She might just be going through a faze but a teenager needed her mother and Nanny was just that, and always would be.


End file.
